Woman Ditching Minimum Wage Job Now Earns Over $70,000 Monthly Reselling Clothes Online

Madi Donohoe, a 22-year-old from Essex, has transitioned from a challenging minimum-wage care worker role to earning approximately £55,000 (over $70,000 USD) per month through reselling clothing online. Donohoe, who juggled her job with chronic pain and fibromyalgia, found the work underpaid and strenuous, prompting her to resign in December 2022 without a backup plan.

Her pivot to reselling began serendipitously after she sold a pair of trainers on Vinted for double the purchase price. This initial success led her to explore reselling as a full-time endeavor. She initially used the live auction app Tilt, rapidly increasing her earnings from £800 in the first month to £5,400 in the second. By the end of her first year, her total earnings reached £356,000.

From November 2025 to June 2026, Donohoe reported an income of £513,000 from reselling, averaging about £55,000 monthly. Her significant profits now allow her to outsource parcel fulfillment.

"Reselling has given me so much freedom," Donohoe stated. "I was having to call in sick a lot in my old job, which I never wanted to do, and now I don't have to worry about that. It's given me the chance to have the best quality of life I can have."

Donohoe attributes her success to a patient and steady approach, cautioning against excessive haste driven by financial urgency. "Some people get really money hungry and rush into things, which can end up being costly, whereas I'm laid back and go with the flow," she said.

After leaving school at 18, Donohoe worked as a care assistant in a private facility for individuals with severe special needs, earning £9 per hour. She described the job as "awful; we were understaffed and underpaid."

Her reselling journey began with a £25 pair of trainers bought from a Nike outlet. After regretting the purchase, she listed them on Vinted for £50, and they sold quickly, sparking the idea for a business.

She expanded her inventory by purchasing Crocs Jibbitz in bulk from Temu for £2 each and reselling them for £4 on Vinted. Her frequent visits to Nike outlets to buy items for resale at double the price became a regular practice.

In late 2023, about a year into her reselling venture, Donohoe discovered Tilt, a live auction platform. She would search charity shops, markets, and outlet stores for items to sell.

Donohoe now conducts about two live streams per week, each lasting three to five hours, dedicating the remaining time to sourcing inventory. Items are presented one by one with a short countdown, and the highest bidder wins.

She identified Stone Island clothing as a lucrative niche, focusing on the Italian brand's items. "I've always loved Stone Island but could never afford it," she admitted, recalling trying on items in stores without the intention to purchase.

Her inventory includes items ranging from £15 badges to £2,000 prototype jackets. Her auctions can attract up to 1,000 viewers simultaneously, and she ships approximately 200 parcels weekly. The volume of sales now enables her to hire assistance for packing and shipping.